Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J9/00—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof
  • C08J9/0061—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof characterized by the use of several polymeric components
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J9/00—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J9/00—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof
  • C08J9/04—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof using blowing gases generated by a previously added blowing agent
  • C08J9/12—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof using blowing gases generated by a previously added blowing agent by a physical blowing agent
  • C08J9/122—Hydrogen, oxygen, CO2, nitrogen or noble gases
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J9/00—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof
  • C08J9/04—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof using blowing gases generated by a previously added blowing agent
  • C08J9/12—Working-up of macromolecular substances to porous or cellular articles or materials; After-treatment thereof using blowing gases generated by a previously added blowing agent by a physical blowing agent
  • C08J9/127—Mixtures of organic and inorganic blowing agents
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L25/00—Compositions of, homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an aromatic carbocyclic ring; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
  • C08L25/02—Homopolymers or copolymers of hydrocarbons
  • C08L25/04—Homopolymers or copolymers of styrene
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2201/00—Foams characterised by the foaming process
  • C08J2201/02—Foams characterised by the foaming process characterised by mechanical pre- or post-treatments
  • C08J2201/03—Extrusion of the foamable blend
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2203/00—Foams characterized by the expanding agent
  • C08J2203/06—CO2, N2 or noble gases
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2203/00—Foams characterized by the expanding agent
  • C08J2203/12—Organic compounds only containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, e.g. ketone or alcohol
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2205/00—Foams characterised by their properties
  • C08J2205/04—Foams characterised by their properties characterised by the foam pores
  • C08J2205/052—Closed cells, i.e. more than 50% of the pores are closed
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2325/00—Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an aromatic carbocyclic ring; Derivatives of such polymers
  • C08J2325/02—Homopolymers or copolymers of hydrocarbons
  • C08J2325/04—Homopolymers or copolymers of styrene
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2425/00—Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an aromatic carbocyclic ring; Derivatives of such polymers
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L2205/00—Polymer mixtures characterised by other features
  • C08L2205/02—Polymer mixtures characterised by other features containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/249921—Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component
  • Y10T428/249953—Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
  • Y10T428/249954—With chemically effective material or specified gas other than air, N, or carbon dioxide in void-containing component
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/249921—Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component
  • Y10T428/249953—Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
  • Y10T428/249976—Voids specified as closed
  • Y10T428/249977—Specified thickness of void-containing component [absolute or relative], numerical cell dimension or density

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to processes for preparing extruded foam products and more particularly to a processes for producing such products having polystyrene blends with high levels of carbon dioxide as a blowing agent.
• Extruded synthetic resinous foams are useful materials for many applications including thermal insulation, decorative purposes, packaging and the like.
• Thermal insulation is one particularly important application for styrene polymer foams.
• styrene polymer foams were extruded using various halo-carbons, such as methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, chlorocarbons, fluorocarbons (including HFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) including dichlorodifluoromethane, fluorohydrocarbons or chlorofluorohydrocarbons (which, as the name implies, contain at least one hydrogen atom and have been referred to as “soft CFCs”, “HCFCs” and “HFCs”), as blowing agents.
• halo-carbons such as methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, chlorocarbons, fluorocarbons (including HFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) including dichlorodifluoromethane, fluorohydrocarbons or chlorofluorohydrocarbons (which, as the name implies, contain at least one hydrogen atom and have been referred to as “soft CFCs”, “HCFC
• halo-carbons generally include (CFCs) such as CFC-11 which is chlorotrifluoromethane, CFC-12 which is dichlorodifluoromethane, and CFC-113 which is 1,2,2-trifluoro-1,1,2-tri-chloroethane, soft CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs, such as chlorodifluoromethane (F-22), 1,1-dichloro2,2,2-trifluoroethane (F-123), 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane(F-142 b ), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (F-134 a ), and 1,1-di-chloro-1-fluoroethane (F-141 b ).
• CFCs such as CFC-11 which is chlorotrifluoromethane, CFC-12 which is dichlorodifluoromethane, and CFC-113 which is 1,2,2-trifluoro-1,1,2-tri-chloro
• halo-carbons for applications including aerosols, refrigerants, foam-blowing agents and specialty solvents within the electronics and aerospace industries has been terminated by government regulation or is highly undesirable. This is because halo-carbons are believed to destroy the ozone layer in the stratosphere. Attempts have therefore been made to replace halo-carbons with hydrocarbons such as butane or inert gases such as carbon dioxide.
• non-halo-carbon blowing agents including low solubility of the blowing agents in styrene polymers, low quality foam production and so on.
• a resin such as a polystyrene resin
• one or more fluid blowing agents is incorporated and thoroughly mixed into the plastified resin under conditions which permit thorough mixing of the blowing agent into the plastified resin and prevent foaming of the mixture.
• the mixture of resin, blowing agent and optional additives is cooled, and the pressure on the mixture is reduced resulting in foaming of the mixture and formation of the desired foam body.
• foam bodies are obtained by extruding the cooled plastified mixture of resin, blowing agent and optional additives into a region of lower pressure.
• the present invention relates to polymer foams which are the so-called “extruded foams”.
• the extruded foams have fairly uniform, relatively small average cell size and are thus particularly useful for thermal insulation.
• the extruded foams also have a relatively low density and thus are even more particularly useful for thermal insulation.
• Another aspect of the extruded foams is that they possess a high level of dimensional stability.
• the extruded foams can be made without blowing agents such as CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs and soft CFCs. These desirable aspects can be achieved while maximizing the amount of blowing agent soluble in the foamable mixtures.
• the present invention relates to a process for preparing a foam product including the steps of (A) forming a foamable mixture of (1) a major amount of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index, (2) a minor amount of a high melt index styrenic polymer, and (3) a blowing agent containing a major amount of carbon dioxide under a pressure sufficient to prevent prefoaming (the undesirable premature foaming of the foam mixtures before it reaches a region of reduced pressure) of the mixture, and (B) foaming the mixture into a region of reduced pressure to form the foam product.
• the present invention relates to a process of preparing a foam product including the steps of (A) forming a foamable mixture of (1) a major amount of a polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight of about 225,000 to about 400,000, (2) a minor amount of a polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight of about 50,000 to about 100,000, and (3) from about 1% to about 16% by weight of the polystyrenes, a blowing agent containing a major amount of carbon dioxide under a pressure sufficient to prevent prefoaming of the mixture, and (B) foaming the mixture into a region of reduced pressure to form a foam product.
• the present invention relates to a foam product comprising a major amount of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index, and a minor amount of a high melt index styrenic polymer, wherein the foam cells are free of halogen blowing agents.
• the foamable mixtures which are extruded and foamed into foam products, such as foam board, foam sheet and other foam structures, in accordance with the inventive process contain two different styrenic polymers and a blowing agent.
• the foamable mixtures may contain other optional additives.
• One styrenic polymer has a high melt index and is a polymer of styrene or a copolymer of styrene and at least one copolymerizable monomer.
• the other styrenic polymer has a low melt index and is a polymer of styrene or a copolymer of styrene and at least one copolymerizable monomer. Neither, either or both of the two styrenic polymers may be further copolymerized with other monomers.
• Both the high and low melt index styrenic polymers contain styrene monomers.
• a styrene monomer is an aromatic compound characterized by the general formula
• Ar represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group of the benzene series.
• Both the high and low melt index styrenic polymers may be copolymers containing styrene monomers and copolymerizable monomers.
• a copolymerizable monomer is any monomer that can be polymerized with styrene monomers to form a styrene copolymer.
• the copolymerizable monomer is a monomer containing an ethylenically unsaturated group.
• the amount of copolymerizable monomer in the styrene copolymers is from about 0.1% to about 10%, and preferably from about 1% to about 5%.
• the copolymerizable monomer containing an ethylenically unsaturated group is an aromatic compound of Formula II and may be represented by the following formula
• R 1 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each independently hydrogen, chlorine, bromine, or alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms, and R 2 is hydrogen or methyl, with the proviso that a total number of carbon atoms in the monomer does not exceed 20.
• at least one of R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are independently chlorine, bromine, or alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms.
• at least one of R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is an alkyl group containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, such as a methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, isopropyl group or butyl group.
• one of R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is an alkyl group containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and two of R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are hydrogen.
• Examples of copolymerizable monomers according to Formula (II) include 3-methyl styrene, 4-methyl styrene, 2,4-dimethyl styrene, 2,5-dimethyl styrene, 4-chlorostyrene, 3-chlorostyrene, 4-chloromethyl styrene, 3-chloromethyl styrene, 4-bromostyrene, 3-bromostyrene, alpha-methyl styrene, alpha-2-dimethyl styrene, etc.
• the copolymerizable monomer containing an ethylenically unsaturated group is one or more monomers of acrylonitrile, phenylene ethers, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, olefins such as ethylene, propylene and copolymers thereof, butadiene, maleic anhydride, citraconic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, vinyl acetate, vinyl toluene, and acrylates such as methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, etc.
• the foamable mixtures which are extruded and foamed in accordance with the process of the present invention contain a major amount of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index and a minor amount of a styrenic polymer having a high melt index.
• a major amount means that the foamable mixtures contain at least 50% by weight of a styrenic polymer having a high melt index.
• a minor amount means that the foamable mixtures contain less than 50% by weight of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index.
• foamable mixtures contain from 50 to about 90% by weight of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index and from about 5 to about 40% of a styrenic polymer having a high melt index. In another embodiment, foamable mixtures contain from about 55 to about 85% by weight of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index and from about 7.5 to about 35% of a styrenic polymer having a high melt index. In yet another embodiment, foamable mixtures contain from about 65 to about 80% by weight of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index and from about 10 to about 25% of a styrenic polymer having a high melt index.
• the weight ratio of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index to a styrenic polymer having a high melt index is about 95:5 to about 55:45 (by weight). In another embodiment, the weight ratio of a styrenic polymer having a low melt index to a styrenic polymer having a high melt index is about 80:20 to about 60:40.
• melt flow index (MFI) or simply melt index. Determining MFI is a low cost, easily performed technique. Details may be found in a number of publications, such as Principles of Polymer Chemistry, by P. J. Flory, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y., 1953.
• styrenic polymers having a high melt index have a melt index from about 10 to about 35. In another embodiment, styrenic polymers having a high melt index have a melt index from about 15 to about 30. In a preferred embodiment, styrenic polymers having a high melt index have a melt index from about 17.5 to about 25.
• styrenic polymers having a low melt index have a melt index from about 0.5 to about 5. In another embodiment, styrenic polymers having a low melt index have a melt index from about 0.75 to about 4. In a preferred embodiment, styrenic polymers having a low melt index have a melt index from about 1 to about 3. MFI can be determined, for example, in accordance with ISO 1133:1997(E) (3 rd Edition). In one embodiment, the polymers are oil free, especially the high melt index polymer. In another embodiment, the styrenic polymers are free of metal stearates.
• the two styrenic polymers generally have different molecular weights.
• the molecular weights of such polymers can be determined by several methods well known to those skilled in the art, such as intrinsic viscosity, light scattering, and ultracentrifuge sedimentation.
• styrenic polymers having a low melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 175,000 to about 500,000.
• styrenic polymers having a low melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 200,000 to about 450,000.
• styrenic polymers having a low melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 225,000 to about 400,000.
• styrenic polymers having a low melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 250,000 to about 350,000.
• styrenic polymers having a high melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 30,000 to about 150,000. In a embodiment, styrenic polymers having a high melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 40,000 to about 125,000. In yet another embodiment, styrenic polymers having a high melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 50,000 to about 100,000. In a preferred embodiment, styrenic polymers having a high melt index have weight average molecular weights from about 60,000 to about 90,000.
• the styrenic polymer having a high melt index contains from about 75% to about 100% of styrene monomers. In another embodiment, the styrenic polymer having a high melt index contains from about 80% to about 99% of styrene monomers. In yet another embodiment, the styrenic polymer having a high melt index contains from about 85% to about 95% of styrene monomers.
• the styrenic polymer having a low melt index contains from about 75% to about 100% of styrene monomers. In another embodiment, the styrenic polymer having a low melt index contains from about 80% to about 99% of styrene monomers. In yet another embodiment, the styrenic polymer having a low melt index contains from about 85% to about 95% of styrene monomers.
• polystyrenes Useful styrene resins (also referred to herein as polystyrenes) and copolymerizable monomer resins are available commercially from a variety of sources and the resins are available with different properties such as melt flow index, molecular weight and so on.
• polystyrenes are available from ARCO Chemical Company under the general designation “DYLENE”, for example DYLENE D-8; from Polysar Ltd., Sarnia, Ontario; and from Chevron Chemical Co., for example EB-3100.
• the melt index of the styrenic polymers and the properties of the extruded, expanded foamed products obtained by the process of the present invention can be controlled and modified by the selection of the molecular weight of the resins.
• the preparation of higher density foam polystyrene bodies is facilitated by decreasing the melt index of a styrenic polymer by using higher molecular weight resins whereas the preparation of lower density foam bodies is facilitated by increasing the melt index of a styrenic polymer by using of lower molecular weight or lower viscosity resins.
• the melt index of the styrenic polymers and the properties of the extruded, expanded foamed products obtained by the process of the present invention can be controlled and modified by the relative amount of additional optional monomers used.
• the styrenic polymers may further contain one or more monomers.
• the styrenic polymers further contain one or more monomers so long as the polymer has a desirable melt flow index (such as either of those described above).
• the blowing agent utilized in the foamable mixtures contains a major amount of carbon dioxide.
• the amount of the blowing agent added to the foamable mixture is from about 1% to about 16% by weight based on the weight of the styrenic polymer.
• the amount of the blowing agent added to the foamable mixture is from about 2% to about 15% by weight based on the weight of the styrenic polymer.
• the amount of the blowing agent added to the foamable mixture is from about 3% to about 10% by weight based on the weight of the styrenic polymer.
• the amount of the blowing agent added to the foamable mixture is from about 4% to about 8% by weight based on the weight of the styrenic polymer. Variations in the amount of blowing agent incorporated into the foamable mixture may be utilized, depending in part on the components of the blowing agent mixtures, to prepare extruded foamed bodies having different desirable characteristics.
• a major amount of carbon dioxide means that the blowing agent contains more than 50% by weight carbon dioxide.
• the blowing agent contains more than about 60% carbon dioxide, and particularly from about 65% to about 100% of carbon dioxide.
• the blowing agent contains from about 70% to about 90% of carbon dioxide.
• the blowing agent may be about 100% of carbon dioxide.
• the blowing agent may be a mixture of carbon dioxide and at least one lower alcohol.
• a lower alcohol is an alkyl alcohol containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms. Lower alcohols include methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol and butanol.
• the above carbon dioxide and blowing agent mixtures may also be used with additional, optional and supplemental blowing agents, most notably air, nitrogen and water as described below.
• Particularly useful mixtures of blowing agents include mixtures comprising: 51-90% of carbon dioxide and 10-49% of ethanol; 60-80% of carbon dioxide and 20-40of ethanol; 51-90% of carbon dioxide and 10-49% of methanol; 60-80% of carbon dioxide and 20-40% of methanol; 51-90% of carbon dioxide and 10-49% of water; and 60-80% of carbon dioxide and 20-40% of water.
• the optional use of a lower alcohol in combination with carbon dioxide provides extruded expanded foam products or bodies having larger cell sizes (from about 1% to about 25% larger in size) when compared to similar density bodies produced with carbon dioxide without a lower alcohol.
• the blowing agent blends including carbon dioxide may contribute to extruded expanded foam bodies having improved compressive strengths at comparable densities. Extruded expanded polystyrene bodies of acceptable characteristics are obtained utilizing the above blowing agent and blowing agent mixtures, and there is no necessity to use halo-carbon blowing agents.
• the blowing agent is free of halogen blowing agents.
• Halogen blowing agents include chlorofluorocarbons, fluorocarbons, soft chlorofluorocarbons, fluorohydrocarbons, and chlorofluorohydrocarbons (typically of methane and ethane).
• halogen blowing agents include methylchloride, ethylchloride, chlorotrifluoromethane, dichlorodifluoromethane, 1,2,2-trifluoro-1,1,2-trichloroethane, chlorodifluoromethane, 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane, 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and 1,1-di-chloro-1-fluoroethane among others. Since halogen blowing agents can be harmful to the environment, their use is not desirable.
• the blowing agent including blowing agent mixtures utilized in the process may be added to the foamable mixtures in any conventional manner.
• the blowing agent can be incorporated into the foamable mixture (combined with the two styrenic polymers) before, during or after polymerization.
• the blowing agent may be directly injected into the foamable mixture in a heat plastifying and mixing apparatus such as an extruder.
• each of the blowing agents may be separately injected into the heat plastifying and mixing apparatus.
• the foamable mixtures may contain, and generally do contain other additives which are included to modify certain characteristics and or properties of the foamable mixtures or the resultant foam bodies.
• nucleating agents may be included to further reduce the primary cell size. Suitable nucleating agents include talc, calcium silicate, calcium carbonate, clays silica, titanium oxide, barium sulfate, diatomaceous earth, indigo, etc. In one embodiment, from about 0.01 to about 1 part of nucleating agent per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer is incorporated into the foamable mixture. In a preferred embodiment, from about 0.05 to about 0.5 parts of nucleating agent per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer are incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• Plasticizers may also be added to the foamable mixture to facilitate processing of the foamable mixture in an extruder.
• the plasticizer is a low molecular weight resin (weight average molecular weight below about 20,000).
• the plasticizer is a low molecular weight resin having a weight average molecular weight below about 15,000.
• the plasticizer is a low molecular weight resin having a weight average molecular weight below about 10,000.
• plasticizers include liquid paraffin or white oil, hydrogenated coconut oil, esters of C 4-C 20 monoalcohols, diols glycerine with higher fatty acids, styrene resin, vinyl toluene resin, alpha-methylstyrene resin, lower alcohols (containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms), etc.
• from about 0.1 to about 20 parts of plasticizer per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer is incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• from about 1 to about 15 parts of plasticizer per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer are incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• Elastomeric rubbers may also be added to the foamable mixture to facilitate processing of the foamable mixture in an extruder and to enhance relaxation of the resultant foam bodies.
• the elastomeric rubber is a soluble in a styrenic polymer.
• the elastomers are copolymers of styrene and a diene, such as butadiene or isoprene.
• the copolymers are typically block copolymers such as diblock, triblock or radial block copolymers.
• elastomeric rubbers examples include styrenic rubber, Kraton® (styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer elastomers), styrene-butadiene copolymer rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer rubbers, etc.
• a useful elastomer is Finaclear® elastomer which is a blend of a SBS copolymer in polystyrene. This elastomer is available commercially from Fina Chemicals.
• from about 0.1 to about 10 parts of elastomeric rubber per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer is incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• from about 0.5 to about 5 parts of elastomeric rubber per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer are incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• Flame-retardant chemicals may also be added to the foamable mixture to impart flame retardant characteristics to the resulting foamed bodies.
• Flame-retardant chemicals include brominated aliphatic compounds such as hexabromocyclododecane and pentabromocyclohexane, brominated phenyl ethers, esters of tatrabromophthalic acid, and combinations thereof.
• from about 0.1 to about 5 parts of flame-retardant chemicals per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer is incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• from about 0.5 to about 3 parts of flame-retardant chemicals per 100 parts of the styrenic polymer are incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• the foamable mixture includes a wax, such as a polyethylene wax.
• the wax is present in an amount from about 0.01 to about 1 or from about 0.03 to about 0.5, or from about 0.04 to about 0.15 parts of wax for every 100 parts of polystyrene.
• An example of a useful wax is Polywax 3000 available from Baker Petrolite.
• These other additives can be included at any amount to obtain the desired characteristics in the foamable mixtures or resultant foamed bodies.
• the optional additives can be incorporated into the foamable mixture (combined with the two styrenic polymers and blowing agent) before, during or after polymerization.
• the components of the foamable mixture are combined and mixed, followed and/or accompanied by heating to a first temperature under a first pressure to form a plastified foamable mixture.
• a first temperature under a first pressure
• the plastified foamable mixture is cooled to a second temperature (generally referred to as die melt temperature) and extruded into a region of reduced pressure to form a foam product.
• the second temperature is lower than the first temperature.
• any process for making foams from the foamable mixtures according to the invention may be employed.
• the first temperature must be sufficient to plastify or melt the mixture.
• the first temperature is from about 135° C. (275° F.) to about 240° C. (464° F.) (below about 240° C.).
• the first temperature is from about 145° C. (293° F.) to about 210° C. (410° F.) (below about 210° C. 410° F.)).
• the first temperature is from about 150° C. (302° F.) to about 165° C. (329° F.) (below about 165° C. (329° F.)).
• the second temperature or die melt temperature is from about 140° C. (284° F.) to about 105° C.
• the second temperature or die melt temperature is from about 130° C. (266° F.) to about 110° C. (230° F.) (below about 130° C. (266° F.)). In a preferred embodiment, the second temperature or die melt temperature is from about 125° C. (257° F.) to about 115° C. (239° F.) (below about 125° C. (257° F.)).
• the first pressure must be sufficient to prevent the foamable mixture containing the blowing agent from prefoaming. Prefoaming involves the undesirable premature foaming of the foamable mixture before it reaches the region of reduced pressure (foaming of the foamable mixture before foaming is desired). Accordingly, the first pressure varies depending upon the identity and amount of blowing agent in the foamable mixture. In one embodiment, the first pressure is from about 700 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) to about 4500 psia. In another embodiment, the first pressure is from about 840 psia to about 4000 psia. In a preferred embodiment, the first pressure is from about 1150 psia to about 3500 psia.
• the second pressure is sufficient to induce conversion of the foamable mixture into a foam body.
• the second pressure is from about 0 psia to about 28 psia.
• the second pressure is from about 1.4 psia to about 21 psia.
• the second pressure is from about 2.8 psia to about 15 psia.
• foam bodies foam products including foam boards, foam sheets, foam insulation and other foam structures
• foam products including foam boards, foam sheets, foam insulation and other foam structures
• the resultant foam bodies generally have a relatively low density, typically less than about 1.361 kg/m 3 (3 lbs/ft 3 ). Density can be determined, for example, in accordance with ASTM D1622-88. In one embodiment, the foam bodies have a density from about 0.0454 to about 1.361 kg/m 3 (0.1 to about 3 lbs/ft 3 ). In another embodiment, the foam bodies have a density from about 0.2268 to about 1.247 kg/m 3 (0.5 to about 2.75 lbs/ft 3 ). In a preferred embodiment, the foam bodies have a density from about 0.4536 to about 1.179 kg/m 3 . (1 to about 2.6 lbs/ft 3 ). In a more preferred embodiment, the foam bodies have a density from about 0.5897 to about 1.134 kg/m 3 (1.3 to about 2.5 lbs/ft 3 ).
• the resultant foam bodies generally have a relatively small average cell size, typically less than about 0.4 mm.
• Average cell size can be determined, for example, according to ASTM D3576-77.
• the foam bodies have an average cell size from about 0.01 to about 0.4 mm.
• the foam bodies have an average cell size from about 0.05 to about 0.35 mm.
• the foam bodies have an average cell size from about 0.1 to about 0.325 mm.
• the foam bodies have an average cell size from about 0.15 to about 0.25 mm.
• the resultant foam bodies generally have a relatively uniform average cell size, typically more than about 50% of the cells have a size within about 0.06 mm of the average cell size. In one embodiment, more than about 60% of the cells have a size within about 0.06 mm of the average cell size. In another embodiment, more than about 50% of the cells have a size within about 0.05 mm of the average cell size. In yet another embodiment, more than about 50% of the cells have a size within about 0.045 mm of the average cell size.
• the cell of the foam have a specific orientation.
• the cell's orientation is determined by comparing the ratio of the diameters of the cells in the X (or extrusion) direction with those in the Z (or thickness) direction.
• the ratio of the diameter of in the X to Z directions (X:Z) is from about 0.7 mm to about 1.2 mm, or from about 0.75 mm to about 1.1 mm, or from about 0.8 mm to about 1 mm.
• the resultant foam bodies generally contain a major amount of closed cells and a minor amount of open cells.
• the relative amount of closed cells can be determined, for example, according to ASTM D2856-A. In one embodiment, more than about 70% of the cells of the resultant foam bodies are closed cells. In another embodiment, more than about 80% of the cells of the resultant foam bodies are closed cells. In a preferred embodiment, more than about 90% of the cells of the resultant foam bodies are closed cells. In a more preferred embodiment, more than about 95% of the cells of the resultant foam bodies are closed cells.
• the resultant foam bodies made in accordance with the present invention have dimensional stability in any direction of about 5% or less. In another embodiment, the resultant foam bodies made in accordance with the present invention have dimensional stability in any direction of about 4% or less. In a preferred embodiment, the resultant foam bodies made in accordance with the present invention have dimensional stability in any direction of about 3% or less. In a more preferred embodiment, the resultant foam bodies made in accordance with the present invention have dimensional stability in any direction of about 2% or less.
• the following example illustrates the process of the present invention and the foam bodies obtained thereby.
• the general procedure and the apparatus utilized in the following examples, unless otherwise indicated, is as follows.
• a plastified resin mixture of styrene copolymer, nucleating agent and flame-retardant is prepared, and a blowing agent is incorporated into the plastified resin mixture to form a foamable mixture.
• a nucleation agent and a fire-retardant material are incorporated into the foamable mixture.
• the foamed boards which are recovered in accordance with the process of the present invention are evaluated for density, average cell size, compressive strength, etc., by techniques known in the art.
• the average cell size is an average of the cell sizes as determined in the X, Y and Z directions.
• the “X” direction is the direction of extrusion; the “Y” direction is the cross machine direction; and the “Z” direction is the thickness.
• the compressive strength of the foam bodies of the present invention are determined utilizing ASTM Test C165-83 entitled “Measuring Compressive Properties of Thermal Insulation”.
• the solids are melted, then mixed with 4.5 wt % carbon dioxide and 1.5 wt % ethanol.
• the mixture is then cooled to 116° C. (240.8° F.) for foaming to occur and foamed through a die opening of 27 cm wide and 1.2 mm high.
• the resulting foam has a density of 1.270 kg/m 3 (2.8 lbs/ft 3 ), an average cell size of 0.175 mm, an orientation ratio of X to Z of 0.8:1, and a thickness of 3.937 cm (1.55 in).
• the process of the present invention for preparing foamed polystyrene bodies such as boards and billets utilizing a blowing agent comprising carbon dioxide and, optionally, lower alcohols, air, water or mixtures thereof results in foamed bodies having acceptable and, in some instances, improved characteristics when the foamable mixture is extruded into a region of subatmospheric pressure.
• One advantage associated with the foamable mixtures of the present invention is that the components (and the amount of each component) leads to the ability to maximize the amount of carbon dioxide in the foamable mixture. While not wishing to be to bound by any theory, it is believed that the amount of carbon dioxide in the foamable mixture is maximized because the solubility of carbon dioxide in the styrenic polymer having a high melt index is relatively high.

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• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
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• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Manufacture Of Porous Articles, And Recovery And Treatment Of Waste Products (AREA)
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• 1999
  • 1999-10-21 ES ES99953245T patent/ES2239463T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
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